VOLCANO CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line an 18cm round cake tin and an 800-900ml oven proof (Pyrex) bowl.
• Put the butter, sugar, eggs, flour and milk into a large bowl and beat well until light and creamy.
• Place about 450g cake mix in the cake tin in heaped spoonfuls, then take approximately 450g cake mix and stain it a bright red in a mixing bowl. Place 175g red cake mix dotted around the cake tin amongst the white batter and mix through with the end of a spoon to marble. Place the remaining white and red batter in the bowl and swirl to marble it.
• Bake in the oven for 30-40 mins for the cake tin and 40-45 mins for bowl. The mixture is cooked when firm to the touch and when a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
• When the cakes are cold trim off any peaks that have formed. Use a knife to cut a hole in the cake tin sponge to fit the bottle. For the bowl shape, slice this in half horizontally, then cut the hole out in both pieces to fit the bottle. We used a small Evian 330ml bottle, but you can use any bottle as long as it is small.
• Place the round cake on a 7" round cake card and then on a further large cake board. Spread some buttercream on the top of the cake, using a little more to stick the sponge off-cuts around the cake against the base. Now add the larger part from the bowl sponge and sandwich onto the buttercream. Spread over some more buttercream. Add the hump part of the bowl cake, rounded side up, on top.
• Using some of the sponge off-cuts, build up the cake to meet the top of the bottle, using buttercream to stick it all together and now go over the whole shape with the rest of the buttercream to seal and make sticky for the marzipan.
• Roll out the marzipan to a large circle to cover the cake's top and sides - it can be quite a rough shape. Lift it onto the cake and drape in a random fashion in the nooks and crannies to make a volcano shape.
• Melt the chocolate in a microwave or in a bowl over a pan of hot water. Using a pastry brush, paint the volcano with chocolate. Attach chunks of chocolate and sweets to make the rocky effect. Drizzle any remaining chocolate over the volcano.
• Now it's time for the explosion. In a jug, add 330ml of diet coke and mix with a dash of red food colouring. Very carefully, with a funnel if necessary, pour the coke into the hidden bottle. Get five mentos ready and roll up some paper to make a little tube so you can drop them all in at once. When you are ready, pop the mentos into the bottle and watch the foamy lave bubble up and pour over the cake. For extra effect use birthday candles, cake sparklers, or cake fountains.